Steps You Should Take To Protect Yourself From Equifax Data Breach

Equifax has suffered one of the major Equifax data breach in the history that left high-sensitivity data up to 143 million people – almost half of the US population – in the hands of hackers.

According to a search by the company, some unknown hackers have been able to exploit a security flaw on the Equifax site and gain access unauthorized to certain files between mid-May and July 2017 access.

Accessible information mainly includes full names, date of birth, social security numbers, addresses and, in some cases, driver license numbers, most of the information that banks, insurance companies, and other companies use to confirm a consumer identity.

The company added that the attackers also got 209,000 credit card numbers, along with “certain documents with personal information for about 182,000 US consumers”.

Equifax is one of the top three US organizations calculating credit scores, which means that the company has access to an extraordinary amount of personal and financial information for almost all American adults.

For a second, keep aside the extent and severity of the breach data, and discuss how Equifax data breach managed after discovering the violation and what it did for its customers.

First, the third US credit reporting company took more than five weeks to publicly disclose the data gap, which began in mid-May, which means that data for 143 million people has been exposed for more than three months.

What else? Apparently, three senior executives Equifax, namely John Gamble (CFO), Joseph Loughran, and Rodolfo Ploder, were authorized to sell nearly $ 2 million of his shares a few days after the company learned of this massive hack.

However, company officials told Bloomberg that employees were unaware of the data breach at the time of sale.

Expect Even More: After revealing gap data on Thursday, Equifax did not contact everyone affected but asked customers who would come to your special website to find out if they were hit by entering the last 6 digits of your SSN and surname

But it’s not that simple. The website is not providing a clear answer if its data could have been hit, but making it clear to those who have not been exposed. She’s confused.

What Should the Next Move Hackers Have?

With these data in hand, it is more likely that hackers are already selling their personal data on the dark web or trying to extort the company as cyber criminals in most cases of mass rape.

Game of Thrones hackers did the same to penetrate the upcoming episodes of the widely-seen show after HBO rejected its $ 6 million redemption request for 1.5 terabytes of data claiming to have stolen from the company.

The same happened with Netflix in April this year when the company refused to meet the 50 Bitcoin ransom request for a group of hackers called The Dark Overlord, which then filtered 10 episodes of Season 5 Netflix ” Orange is the New Black. ”

Although Equifax has not yet confirmed Equifax data breach whether hackers have contacted the company for any complaints or not, the violation is bigger, and all 143 million Americans need to quickly take steps to protect themselves and their loved ones.

Here’s what you can do to protect yourself From Equifax data Breach

1. Sign up for TrustedID Premier

Equifax offers one-year free credit monitoring and anti-trust program for one year with TrustedID Premier to be registered if resident in the United States. The service is free, regardless of whether you have been affected by the violation.

The program offers services like the Equifax credit report, office credit file tracking, Equifax credit report blocking, social security number tracking, and identity theft insurance up to $ 1M.

However, Equifax’s identity protection service is not enough, follow the instructions below to make sure you do everything possible to protect your identity.

2. Track your accounts

In the coming days, personal data and payment cards will probably be sold in black markets around the world, causing financial losses and identity theft for millions of customers.

Therefore, users are advised to be vigilant in reviewing their bank statements, verifying any changes to their personal information and reporting any unauthorized transactions to their respective bank.

3. Freeze your credit report

Since your stolen Social Security number can be used improperly by hackers to open new accounts for your account or spoil your credit score, you should consider applying a credit freeze application.

Freezing your credit will make it hard for anyone to open a new account in your name, as you (or anyone who disagreed with you) will need the PIN you got when you blocked the credit to degrade your account.

It is advisable for users to be cautious if they receive suspicious or unrecognized calls, text messages or emails from someone who says they pay the taxes or a debt immediately, even if they provide their personal information.

7. Identity theft already experienced? Here’s what you should do now:

If you already have a victim of identity theft, visit the FTC Identity Theft Recovery website and complete the form. The Federal Trade Commission will provide a specific relationship of identity theft and recovery plans to “do.”

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